US2221978A - Measuring device - Google Patents

Description

N. LEE

MEASURING DEVICE Nov; 19, 1940.-

Filed Oct. 20, 1938 5 SheeCs-Sheet l' FRACTIONS lNVENTOR /v/'xa/v LEE BW W ATTORN EY Nov. 19, 1940. N. LEE

MEASURING DEVICE S SheetS-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 20, 1938 Ill/1 INVENTOR N/XO/V- 45: BY

, v ATTORNEY I Nov. 19, 1940. N. LEE

MEASURING DEVICE F iled Oct. 20, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIGA.

INVENTOR N/XO/V LEE ATTORNEY Filed Oct. 20, 1938 51Sheets-Sheet 4 I INVENTOR NlXO/V LE m ATTORNEY Nov. 19, 1940. NLEE 2,221,973

. I MEASURING DEVICE Filed Oct. 20, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet s FIG.6.

INVENTOR lV/XO/Y 55 BY v ATTORNEY Ill/I Patented Nov. 19, 1940 UNITED STAES PATENT OFFICE 20 Claims.

This invention relates to method and apparatus for dispensing in a simple and efficient manner measured quantities of a liquid from a container.

It is frequently desirable for distributors and other users of various liquids to draw oif measured portions of liquids from containers. For example, it may be desirable in the paint field to prepare a few ounces or quarts of a certain mixture of different kinds of paints or lacquers according to a definite formula by taking fixed amounts of the different paints or lacquers from large containers such as gallon or gallon cans. This is particularly true in the sale and distribution of paints and lacquers where it is desired to carry as small a stock of basic paints and lacquers as possible while still being able to provide purchasers with numerous different mixtures of these same basic paints or lacquers.

My invention provides a simple and efifective apparatus and method for drawing ofi small accurately measured quantities of liquids from containers without requiring the constant cleaning of measuring apparatus after each Withdrawal and before using the apparatus for a different liquid. While my invention is particularly applicable to the dispensing of measured quantities of paints and lacquers from cans and other containers, it is to be understood that it is equally useful in connection with drawing off measured quantities of numerous other liquids, such as chemicals and the like, from large glass bottles, ca rboys and other containers regardless of size. An outstanding advantage of my inven- 35 tion is that it permits the dispensing of measured quantities of liquids directly from original containers in which the liquids are packaged or stored.

One object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for introducing a measured quantity of a gas into a gas-tight container to displace and force out of the container a predetermined volume of liquid.

A further object is to provide apparatus for accomplishing the foregoing object which can be easily and quickly applied to a succession of containers holding difierent liquids,

Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for carrying out the above objects by producing first within the container a, slight pressure placing the system in readiness to dispense liquid, and thereafter supplying a measured quantity of gas to the container whereby an equivalent quantity of liquid will be discharged.

Another object of my invention is to provide. apparatus for carrying out the invention when applied to containers of different sizes, and including mechanism for indicating the quantities of liquid discharged. I

Other objects and. advantages will be described and will be apparent from the following description of a particular embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows somewhat diagrammatically a :10 container from which liquid is to be dispensed and a series of pistons and cylinders for supply,- ing measured quantities of air to the container to dispense liquid therefrom.

Figure'2 is a front elevation of apparatus for supplying measured quantities of air to the container.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a side elevation, partly in section, of one end of the apparatus shown in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a vertical cross section through the apparatus taken on the line 55 of Figure 3 and partly broken away to illustrate certain details of the mechanism.

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view through the pistons and cylinders taken on the offset line B6 of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a vertical section through one of the indicators of the apparatus.

Figure 8 is a detail view on an enlarged scale taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 5.

Figure 9- is an additional detail View partly in section taken on the line 99 of Figure 3.

With reference more particularly to Figure 1, suitable means are provided according to my invention for sealing a can or other container I 0 at its top to make the can gas-tight, so that the forcing of measured quantities of a gas into a oan will serve to displace and force out through the conduit II and the spout l2 an equivalent quantity of liquid from the can l0. Conduit II is arranged to extend substantially to the bottom of the can so that the con-tents thereof may be as completely discharged as possible. One suit- .able form of device for sealing and clamping the can I0 is shown in Figure 1 and is supported by theframe l3. The can in this instance is provided with an upwardly extending section l4 having external threads to receive normally a;5o screw cap or other suitable closure.

' For purposes of my invention, an assembly including a conduit H and spout l2 suitably fixed to collar l5 are screwed on to the top H of the can I0 in place of the usual closure. The collar.

I5 is provided with an opening l6 for the admission of gas to the top of the container l9. Flexible hose l1 for supplying the gas to the container has attached to its end a short, stiff tube l8 held in the hose by the clamp l9. This tube 8 may be inserted through an opening in the end of arm 28 and through a gasket 2| in registry with the opening 16. Arm 20, which may be pivotally supported by the frame |3 at 22, is then clamped against the gasket 2| by the pressure screw 23 having a hand wheel 24 and mounted in the block 25 which in turn is pivotally supported on the frame l3. A gas, such as air, may

be supplied from the measuring apparatus illustrated in more detail in Figures 2 to 9, inclusive, and including the cylinders 26, 21 and 28 in which the pistons 29, 36 and 3| are operated. At one end, the interiors of the three cylinders 26, 21 and 28 are connected in series by means of the pipes 32 and 33 (Fig. 1) or by other suitable means hereinafter described. Flexible hose l1 may be connected to either of these pipes and is illustrated as connected to one end of the pipe 32.

An important feature of my invention is the apparatus for supplying measured quantities of a gas, such as air, to the container through the hose l1. This apparatus (Figs. 2-9) is mounted in a frame comprising the front panel 34, which may have rearwardly extending flanges 35 cast integrally therewith. A rear frame member 36 carrying suitable bearings may be connected to the front frame panel 34 by means of the four tie rods 31, 31 and 38, 38 held in place by suitable nuts 39. The cylinders 26, 21 and 28 are secured to the front frame member 34 by means of the bolts 40 extending through panel 34. The panel member 34 of the frame is preferably provided with an opening 6| communicating with the end of the cylinder 28, two openings 42, 43 communicating with the end of cylinder 21, and an opening 44 communicating with the end of cylinder 26. The thick portions 45, 46 of the frame panel 34 may be drilled to provide the openings 41, 48 connecting the openings 4|, 42 and the openings 43, 44, respectively. Suitable plugs 49 may be employed to seal the open ends of the openings 41, 48, and the flexible hose 11, made of rubber or other suitable material, may be clamped in any desirable manner to the short pipe section 56 threaded into the opening 48. It will be seen that the interiors of the cylinders 26, 21 and 28 are thus connected in series and to the air supply pipe I! leading to the can or other container Pistons 29 and 36 may be of any conventional construction affording a tight fit with the inner walls of cylinders 26, 21 respectively. Suitable piston rings 51, 52 may be employed for this purpose, the piston assemblies being held together by the bolts 53. Piston 29 is fixed to one end of operating rod 54 and piston 39 is fixed to one end of the operating rod 55. Piston 3|, which is of considerably smaller diameter than pistons 29 and 39, may consist of the end of operating rod 56 which extends into the cylinder 28 through any suitable form of gas-light stuffing box 51.

Operating rod 54 preferably has clamped thereon a suitable cross head 58 and is arranged to slide axially through the bearing 59 in the frame member 36. The other end of cross head 58 is provided with an enlarged end having internal threads to receive the threads 6| on rod 62. Rod 62may be mounted for rotation in the bearing 63 in frame member 36 and the bearing 64 in frame panel 34. Collars 64a and 646 on each side of bearing 64 may be used to prevent axial movement of the rod 62. A suitable hand wheel 65 may be connected to the end of rod 62 which extends through panel 34.

Operating rod 55 is arranged to slide through the bearing 66 in frame member 36 and has clamped or otherwise fixed thereto a suitable cross head 61. Cross head 6'! is provided with an enlarged end 68 having internal threads to receive the threads 69 on the rotatable rod 18. One end of rod 18 is mounted for rotation in the bearing 1| in frame member 36, and the other end of rod 18 is rotatably mounted in bearing 12 in the front frame member 34. The front end of rod 10 which projects through panel 34 may have fixed thereto a suitable hand wheel 13.

For purposes of measuring the extent of movement of piston 38 and thus the amount of air forced out of the cylinder 21, an indicating mechanism is provided. A bevel gear 14 is splined to the rod 10, for a purpose to be hereinafter described, and meshes with bevel gear 15 carried on the short shaft 16 mounted in suitable bearings 11 and 18 integral with the frame member 34. Fixed to the shaft 16 are a plurality of discs 19, four such discs being illustrated. These discs are each provided with a succession of notches 86 uniformly spaced from each other around their periphery, the disc nearest bevel gear 15 preferably carrying the greatest number of notches, the second disc having half as many notches, the third disc having one quarter as many notches as'the first, and the disc furthest away from gear 15 having one eighth as many notches as the first disc.

The notches 86 on the discs 19 are adapted to engage a detent carried by the lower end of a plunger 8| associated with the indicator 82. Indicator 82 may be mounted upon a suitable bar 83 supported in bearings 84, 85 for sliding movement in a direction parallel to the shaft 16.

Referring now to the rod 56 which is in effect a piston operating in cylinder 28, rod 56 is mounted for axial movement in a bearing 86 in frame member 36 and has clamped thereto a suitable cross head 81. The enlarged end 88 of cross head 81 is internally threaded to receive threads 89 on rod 90. Rod 90 is rotatably mounted in the bearing 9| in frame member 36 and in the bearing 92 in frame member 34. Rod 98 is preferably mounted to prevent any axial movement thereof and collars 92a and 92b may be fixed to the rod on each side of bearing 92 for this purpose. A suitable hand wheel 93 is affixed to the outer end of the rod 90 for rotating it. Bevel gear 94 is fixed to the rod just inside panel 34 and meshes with bevel gear 95 fixed to the shaft 96. Shaft 96 may be carried in suitable bearing members 91, 98 which are integral with the frame member 34. Fixed to the shaft 96 are a plurality of discs 99 carrying notches in their periphery in the same manner as described in connection with discs 19. Discs 99 cooperate with the indicator I00, which is also fixed to the bar 83 so that a plunger |0| will bear against the surface of one of the discs 99.

The indicators 82 and IE6 are identical in construction and operation, except that indicator 82 is designed to indicate ounces, quarts, gallons or other suitable measure, while indicator I6!) is arranged to indicate fractions thereof. A description of the construction and operation of indicator 82 will suifice for both. Indicator 82 is illustrated particularly-in Figures 5 and '7 and includes a solid frame I02 clamped or otherwise fixed to the bar 83. A circular opening I03 is provided within the front portion of frame I02 and is closed by front panel I04 held in place by screws or the like and having a small square opening I05 near its top.

A shaft I06 is mounted within the opening I03 for rotation in the bearings I01, I08 and has fixed thereto inside the panel I04, an indicator dial I09 carrying suitable indicia and a driving ratchet IIO. The indicia on the dial I09 are arranged to register at appropriate times with the opening I 05. A hand knob III may be provided for resetting the dial I09 to zero when desired by turning it clockwise as viewed in Figure 5.

The rear portion of the frame I02 is provided with a cylindrical opening II2 to receive the plunger 8|. Rod H4 is threaded into the top of the plunger and is small enough to leave a space within the cylinder II2 for a coil spring I I5, urging the plunger BI downward. The upper end of rod H4 is pivotally connected to one end of hand lever IIB. Hand lever II6 is pivoted to the frame I02 at a point I I1 removed a short distance from pivot H6. Depression of the outer end of hand lever II6 thus serves to raise rod H4 and plunger 8|. Intermediate its ends, plunger 8| has fixed thereto a pin II8 which extends through an opening II9 in the frame and is pivotally connected to one end of the bellcrank I20. Bellcrank I20 is pivoted to the frame of the indicator at I2I. The other end of bellcrank I 20 has pivotally connected thereto a pawl I22, normally held in engagement with the ratchet IIO by means of the spring I23. If desired, a check pawl I24 pivoted on the indicator frame may also be provided together with a spring I25 to insure proper operation of ratchet IIO. The lower end of plunger 8| carries a detent I26 adapted to drop into one of the notches of one of the discs I9. As the detent I26 drops into such a notch 80, the plunger is forced downward by the action of the spring II5, thus moving downward the horizontal arm of the bellcrank I20 connected to it, and causing pawl I22 to rotate the ratchet H0 and the dial I09 one notch. When the detent I26 drops into a notch 80 of one of the discs I9, rotation of the discs I9 together with the mechanism connected thereto is arrested. To allow further rotation of the discs I9, the plunger BI on the indicating means is raised by depressing the hand lever II6 to raise the plunger 8I and detent I26.

The operation of the device described thus far will be best understood when described in connection with the making of a hypothetical formula by dispensing certain measured quantities of different kinds of paint from their respective containers into a common receptacle to be used for mixing. For example, the formula may be 1 ounces white, 2% ounces green,% ounce blue. Containers such as 1 or 5 gallon cans of white, green and blue paint are preferably each provided with separate closure assemblies, including the conduit II and the pouring spout I2. The hose I1 is then clamped to the closure on the can of white paint by means of the hand screw 23. The receptacle to receive the measured quantities of different paints is placed under the spout I2. The dials of the indicating mechanisms 82, I00 are turned by means of the knobs III so that the dials I09 indicate a reading of zero through the openings I05. Hand wheel 65 is then rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 2, moving the cross head 58, operating rod 54 and piston 29 toward the front panel 34 until sufficient air has been forced out of cylinder 26 and through the hose II into the container I0 to bring the level of paint to the top of the conduit II. The air in the container I0, hose I! and cylinders 26, 21, 2B is now maintained under the slight positive pressure created, which will be the amount caused by the weight of the column of paint in the conduit II above the level of the paint in the can I0.

Hand wheel I3 is now rotated in a clockwise direction, rotating the bevel gear I4, which in turn rotates the bevel gear I5 and the discs I9 so that the top of. the discs I9 move in a direction away from the panel 34. At the same time cross head 61, operating rod 55 and piston 30 will be moved toward the panel 34 by means of the threads 69 on rod I0. Air will thus be forced out of cylinder 21 through opening 43 into hose I1 and thence into the can I0. 1 This rotation of rod I0 and discs 19 is continued until the detent I26 drops into the first notch 80 on the disc I9, thus locking hand wheel I3 against further rotation. Detent I26 will have been engaged in one of the notches 80 before starting rotation of hand wheel 13; to allow hand wheel I3 to be turned initially, the detent I26 will have been lifted by pressing down on the lever I I6. The space between the notches 80 on the first disc I9 will be so calibrated that in the travel of this disc from one notch to another, the piston 30 will force a measured quantity such as one ounce of air out of the cylinder 3! into the container I0. As the detent I26 falls into the notch 80, the plunger 8I drops down under the action of spring H5, and through movement of the pin II8, bellcrank I20, and pawl I22 rotates the dial I09 one notch in a clockwise direction as viewed from the front of the machine in Figure 2. This indicator will then read one ounce. As the ounce of air is forced into container I0, an ounce of white paint will be forced up through conduit I I and out of the spout I2 into the waiting receptacle.

In order to obtain the additional one sixteenth ounce, hand wheel 93 is now rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 2, moving the cross head BI and the operating rod and piston 56 toward the panel 34. Simultaneously, the bevel gear 94 is rotated by rod and rotates bevel gear 95. In this manner, the discs 99 will be similarly rotated until the detent on the plunger IOI of indicator I00 reaches the first notch of the disc 99 and drops in place. This indicating mechanism I00 will then operate as,

will be discharged by the spout I2, making 1%,; 4

ounces of white paint in the receptacle.

The hose II is now disconnected from the can of white paint, the assembly. I I, I2 and I5 being left attached to the can, and the can of green paint provided with a similar assembly is clamped The spaces between notches on the disc in place in the manner previously described. The indicator dials on the indicating mechanisms 82 and I80 are reset to zero. The system with the new can is again brought into equilibrium by rotation of the hand wheel 65 .to raise the level of liquid in the conduit II.. Hand wheel I3'is then rotated, after first pressing down lever IIB on the indicator mechanism 82, until the detent I28 drops into the next notch 89 in the disc I9. This, as previously described, forces 1 ounce of green paint out of the spout I2 into thewaiting receptacle. Since two ounces of the. green paint are desired, lever H8 is again pressed down and rotation of hand wheel I3 is continued until the next notch 89 is reached which causes discharge of the second ounce of paint. Rotation of hand wheel 93 is now started in the same manner and continued for eight successive notches on disc 99, until or /2 ounce of additional green paint has been discharged into the waiting receptacle.

The green paint can may then be disconnected from the hose 1'! and the can of blue paint brought into place. As previously described, the system is first brought into equilibrium by rotation of the hand wheel 65 forcing the blue paint up to the top of conduit II. Since in this case only T 5 ounce is desired, hand wheel 93 is then rotated until seven successive notches on the disc 99 have been passed.

The receiving receptacle now contains the desired formula and the only portions of the apparatus that have come in contact with the paint are the conduits II and pouring spouts I2 which, of course, may easily be provided for each can of paint. The measuring apparatus itself does not require any cleaning. The operation of the notches in the discs 19 and 99 serves to arrest temporarily the rotation by hand wheels I3 and 93, respectively, thus preventing any over-running in measuring out the liquid.

The foregoing formula is designed to make four ounces of mixed paint. If an order should be received for twice this amount for example, the plunger I27 will be raised against the action of the spring I 28 to withdraw the detent I29 from one of the notches I39 in the bar 83. The bar 83 to which the indicating mechanisms 82 and I99 are attached may now be slid endwise until the plungers BI and NH of the indicating mechanisms are in position over the second of the discs I9 and 99 from the bevel gear 75 and 95, respectively. Detent I29 at this point will drop into place into the second of the notches I38 in bar 83. The notches on the second of the discs may be easily spaced twice as far apart as the notches on the first of the discs I9 and 99. Consequently, the same manner of procedure may be followed in this case, but while the indicating dials of the mechanisms 83 and I89 will indicate the amounts in terms of the formula used, actually double these amounts will have been discharged from the cans II). In a similar manner the other two discs I9 and the other two discs 99 may be arranged with the notches 89 spaced enough farther apart for purposes of making up mixtures of other multiples of the desired formula.

While the indicating mechanisms have been described as calibrated in ounces and fractions of ounces, it will be apparent, of course, that these mechanisms may be calibrated in quarts and fractions of quarts, or in any other suitable quantities for measuring by volume.

It is not necessary that the can be tilted to the position in which it is shown in Figure 1 to effect discharge from the spout I2. A tilting arrangement is advantageous, however, in reducing somewhat the amount of pressure required to bring the system into equilibrium at the start of the measuring operation. It will be apparent that the amount of pressure on the entire system needed to maintain the system in equilibrium will increase gradually as the level of liquid in the container I0 becomes lower. The reason for this is that the height of liquid in the conduit II above the level of liquid in the container I0 determines the amount of pressure needed. Consequently, as the level of liquid in container I0 becomes lower, the column of liquid in conduit I I above this level becomes higher. This variable may introduce a slight error into measuring operations if it is not compensated for, and the error will vary with the amount of liquid to be discharged from the can ID, the height of the can I8, specific gravity of the liquid being measured, and the dimensions of the conduit I I. ,Under normal circumstances however, the change in pressure in the can I8 will be so slight that the error in measuring will be substantially negligible and may be entirely discounted.

For measuring out larger quantities of liquid however, it may be preferable to employ a compensating device, such as I have illustrated applied only to the operation of piston 39 but which may, of course, be also applied to the operation of plunger 56. For this purpose, the operating rod I9 is so mounted in bearing TI and bearing I2 as to provide for a small amount of axial movement of the rod. The bevel gear I4 may be splined to the rod ID by means of a key I3I arranged to slide in the slot I32. The collar 18a bearing against bearing I2 insures maintaining the bevel gear I4 in mesh at all times with the bevel gear I5. To effect the compensating movement of rod I9, and through the cross head 9'! an additional movement of rod 55 and piston 38, the rod 10 may be provided with a sleeve I33 having threads with a pitch considerably less than the pitch of threads 99. A cross head I34 is provided having one end I35 internally threaded to mesh with the threads on the sleeve I33. The other end I36 of cross head I34 is arranged to slide on the operating rod 55. The end I36 of cross head I34 has pivotally mounted thereon a slot cam I3'I with its slot I38 disposed at an angle to the rod 55. Bellcrank I39 may be pivoted on a pin I4Il fixed to the exterior of cylinder 2'1. One arm of the bellcrank I39 is provided with a pin I4I which slides in the slot I39. The other end of bell crank I39 is preferably provided with bifurcated arms I42 carrying inwardly extending pins I43 which engage groove I44 of collar I 45. Collar I45 may be fixed to rod I8 by means of the pin I46.

It will be seen that this mechanism provides for an additional movement of rod 55 over that supplied to it merely by rotation of the threads 69.

As rod III is rotated, cross head I34 will be moved towards the panel 34 and the cam slot I38 will move the bellcrank I39 by means of the pin I4I to rotate the bellcrank in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 3. This in turn will serve to move the bifurcated arms I42, the pins I43, collar I45, and rod '19 toward the panel 34, thus providing an axial movement of the rod I0 toward the panel 34 which produces an additional movement of the operating rod 55 and piston 30 through the cross head 81. By adjusting and properly setting the angle of slot cam I31 in advance, this Compensating device makes accurate measurement and dispensing of liquid possible, even though the containers of liquid vary in size and the liquid varies in specific gravity with different containers.

Under ordinary circumstances however, with containers of one gallon or evenfive gallon size and with liquids of low specific gravity, the pressure in the measuring apparatus will vary so slightly that displacement of one'ounce of air from one of the cylinders will cause a discharge of almost exactly one ounce of liquid from the container Iii. If desired, the compensating mechanism may be eliminated and the pistons, cylinders, and/or discs (9 and 99 may be so callbrated as to supply sufficient gas to dispense exactly the desired quantity of liquid from containers of a given size.

It will be apparent that other forms of apparatus may be used to practice my invention. In some instances the indicating mechanism may be very much simplified, or the indicators may even be eliminated. One or two of the cylinders 26, 21 and 28 may be eliminated if its function is incorporated in the remaining cylinder or cylinders, or if its function is not considered necessary. It is understood that the invention is not limited to a piston and cylinder arrangement since other devices might be used for supplying measured quantities of gas to the container. Various other modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The terms and expressions which I have em ployed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and I haveno intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but recognize that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

I claim:

1. In apparatus of the character described, a

gas tight container for holding a liquid, conduit means extending from below the level of said liquid to a point above said level for discharging said liquid from said container, and means for introducing into said container a measured quantity of a gas to effect a discharge from said container of a predetermined quantity of said liquid through said conduit means.

2. In apparatus of the character described, a gas tight container for holding a liquid, conduit means extending from below the level of said liquid to a point above said level for discharging said liquid from said container, means for applying sufficient gaseous pressure to said container to raise liquid substantially to the top of said conduit means, and means for supplying thereafter a measured quantity of a gas to said container to discharge av predetermined quantity of liquid through said conduit means.

3. In apparatus of the character described, a container for liquid, means for holding said container in a fixed inclined position to facilitate discharging measured quantities of said liquid therefrom, and a gas tight closure for said container including conduit means extending through said closure to a point below the level of liquid in the container, a pouring spout associated with said conduit means outside said container, and means for connecting a gas supplying pipe to said closure for introducing gas into the container.

4. In apparatus for dispensing a measured quantity of liquid from a container, a device said container to displace liquid therefrom, said I device comprising a cylinder, conduit means for supplying gas from said cylinder to said container, a piston for forcing gas out of said cylinder, means for moving said piston a predetermined distance in said cylinder and means for arresting movement of said piston after it has moved said distance.

6. In apparatus for dispensing a measured quantity of liquid from a container, a device for supplying a measured quantity of a gas to said container to displace liquid therefrom, said device comprising a cylinder, conduit means for supplying gas from said cylinder to said container, a piston for forcing gas out of said cylinder, means for moving said piston a succession of predetermined distances in said cylinder, and means for indicating the number of movements thus made.

'7. A device as defined-in claim 6 which includes means for temporarily arresting movement of the piston at theend of each of the movements.

8. A device as defined in claim 6 in which the moving means is arranged to vary the extent of each of the success'ivemovements of the piston.

9. A device as defined in claim 6 which includes means shiftable to increase the extent of each of the successive movements by a multiple consisting of a small whole number.

10. In apparatus for dispensing a measured quantity of liquid from a container, a device for supplying a measured quantity of a gas to said container to displace liquid therefrom, said device comprising a plurality of cylinders, and independent means for forcing gas out of said cylinders into a common conduit.

11. In apparatus for dispensing a measured quantity of liquid from a container, a device for supplying a measured quantity of a gas to said container to displace liquid therefrom, said device comprising a plurality of cylinders of different diameter, a conduit for supplying gas to the container, means for conducting gas from each of said cylinders to said conduit, and means for forcing different amounts of gas out each of said cylinders.

12. In apparatus for'dispensing a measured quantity of liquid from a container, a device for supplying a measured quantity of a gas to said container to displace liquid therefrom, said device including a cylinder, a piston operating in said cylinder, a second cylinder, a second piston operating in said second cylinder and having a substantially smaller cross sectional area than said first mentioned piston, a conduit, means for conducting gas from each of said cylinders to said conduit, and means for operating said pistons to force successive predetermined quantities of gas out of said cylinders into said conduit.

13. A device as defined in claim 12 which includes means for indicating the quantities of gas forced out of the cylinders.

14. A device as defined in claim 12 which in- CHI cludes means for temporarily arresting movement of the pistons after forcing each successive predetermined quantity of gas out of the cylinders.

15. A device as defined in claim 12 which includes means for varying the amounts of the successive quantities of gas forced out of the first mentioned cylinder.

16. In apparatus for dispensing a measured quantity of liquid from a container, a device for supplying a measured quantity of a gas to said container to displace liquid therefrom, said device includes three cylinders, a conduit, means for conducting gas from each of said cylinders to said conduit, means for forcing relatively large successive predetermined quantities of gas out of one of said cylinders into the conduit, means for forcing relatively small successive predetermined quantities out of the second of said cylinders into the conduit, and means for applying and maintaining sufiicient pressure on the gas in the third cylinder to preserve a fixed pressure on the gas in said conduit during operation of said two forcing means.

17. Apparatus for discharging measured quantities of a liquid from a container, comprising a closure for said container having conduit means extending from below the level of liquid in the container to a point of discharge outside of the container, a device for supplying measured quantities of air to said container, a hose connecting said device and container, and means for removably attaching -said hose to said container.

18. A method of discharging a predetermined quantity of liquid from a container comprising providing said container with conduit means for the discharge of liquid extending from a point below the level of liquid to a point outside of said container, sealing said container against escape of gas therefrom, and supplying to said sealed container a measured quantity of gas to effect discharge of said predetermined quantity of liquid through said conduit means.

19. A method of discharging a predetermined quantity of liquid from a container comprising providing said container with conduit means for the discharge of liquid extending from a point below the level of liquid to a point outside of said container, sealing said container against escape of gas therefrom, supplying suflicient gas to said container to force the liquid to substantially the top of said conduit means, and supplying in addition a measured quantity of gas to said container to effect discharge of an equiv-- alent quantity of liquid through said conduit means.

20. A method of discharging a predetermined quantity of liquid from a container comprising providing said container with conduit means for the discharge of liquid extending from a point below the level of liquid to a point outside of said container, sealing said container against escape of gas therefrom, supplying sufiicient gas to said container to force the liquid to substantially the top of said conduit means, supplying in addition successive measured quantities of gas to said container to eiTect discharge of equivalent quantities of liquid through said conduit means, and recording the number of said successive quantities of gas.

NIXON LEE.

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